Steubenville Football Coach Who Failed To Report Rape Just Got A Sweet 2-Year Contract Extension

The now infamous Steubenville High School football coach Reno Saccocia — of the now equally infamous “Reno took care of it” text messages — just got his employment renewed. An employee who fails to report the rape of an underage unconscious girl — and furthermore protects the rapists — doesn’t exactly scream “employment renewal.” But not to Steubenbille High School apparently.

Herald Star reports that coach Reno Saccocia has been granted a “two-year administrative contract.” This would be the same Coach Reno that Trent Mays texted following the gang rape, bragging to his friends that they wouldn’t face any jail time:

“Nothing really,” Mays texted. “Going to stay in for awhile. LOL. And next time [someone is] into something, suspended for three games.

“But I feel he took care of it for us,” Mays continued. “Like, he was joking about it, so I’m not worried.”

In another text, Mays wrote: “I got Reno. He took care of it and [expletive] ain’t going to happen, even if they did take it to court.”

We already knew Steubenville High School didn’t seem to care much about sexual assault given that Coach Reno is the dude they’re already throwing pep rallys for in the middle of court proceedings. But one would think that, empathy for sexual assault claims aside, the school would at least hold off on rape apologist job security until after the looming grand trial.

But I guess quickly rewarding those who turned a blind eye to flagrant and braggy gang rape is more important. Tack on one for rape culture.

Now, not to say this guy isn’t a dick, because maybe he is, but do you really think the kids went to him and were like “Coach, we totally raped this chick, what’s up with that” or do you think they went to him and said “Coach, this bitch is spreading rumours that we did something we didn’t”. I just don’t want to believe a grown man in his position as a mentor would hear stories of a rape and tell these kids they have nothing to worry about, they did nothing wrong.

firedog1959

U don’t know this piece of shit!!!!!!!!!!

A. Levy

Just because you don’t want to believe something doesn’t make it untrue. It’s been fairly well-documented that Reno knew at least 2 of his team members had sex with an intoxicated, underage girl. Whether or not he believed it rose to the level of rape is irrelevant. Underage girls are not legally able to consent. Intoxicated girls are not legally able to consent. He had a responsibility to report, and he chose to cover it up.

Sara

It doesn’t matter. As Emmali Lucia pointed out above, in mandatory-reporter states (and Ohio is one), a school employee who has any reason to believe that a child MAY have been abused is legally required to report it. It doesn’t matter if you think it’s true or not–it wasn’t his job to play detective or make a determination about whether the claims of rape were credible. The job of the school employee is not to play detective, but simply to report the information he heard to the proper authorities so that THEY can determine the truth of what happened. The second he found out that there was even a story out there that this had happened, he was legally required to report it.

This guy didn’t just break a moral rule, he broke the actual law and he should have been not only fired, but prosecuted.

http://www.facebook.com/RetiredSceneQueen Emmali Lucia

Aren’t mandatory reporters a thing in every state? Or is it just Oregon? Because he could get F-I-R-E-D off his ASS for not reporting them ASAP over here. My teacher had (I mean literally, HAD) to report my mother when I complained about her drinking too much.

http://www.facebook.com/valerisexton.jones Valeri Jones

Also pulled from the article in The Herald Star – “The board also approved a $10,000 bequest from the Joseph P.
Heatherington estate to establish a scholarship fund in the City Schools
Foundation for a Steubenville High School football player with the
highest grade-point average.”

I know I’m probably overreacting, but this makes me a little queasy, too. I think the Steubenville High School football program needs to be shut down for a little while.

Thrillhouse

I misread “coach” as “roach.” Indeed.

Sara

Since Steubenville High School is apparently choosing to ignore the fact that what this coach did was not only wrong but illegal, every other high school in the area should simply refuse to play against them. It’s clear that the motivation here is money and the school’s reluctance to lose a coach who wins them a lot of games. If that stops happening, they’ll have no more motivation to protect him.

And for God’s sakes, the school district should really get its priorities straight. Not only is their position morally indefensible, but they’re tarnishing their entire community’s name, and believe me, that stain will last for decades.